Enclosed automobile dashboard



Aug. 5, 1952 'fsco T 2,605,687

ENCLOSED AUTOMOBILE DASHBOARD Filed April 9, 1948 2 Sl-lEETS-SHEET 1 Aug. 5, 1952 A, R, sc rT 2,605,687

ENCLOSED AUTOMOBILE DASHBOARD Filed April 9, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 v g 25 I o 36 a IF i 1 I E JNVENTOR. flugusius H. 5co if A 7"TORNEYS Patented Aug. 5, 1952 ENCLOSEDAlJTOMOBILE DASHBOARD j ugustusasadmt Castle, 0010; Application April 9, 1948, Serial No. 20,055

2 Claims. (01. es-2) This invention relat'es to vehicle instrument panels and more'particularly to an enclosed instrument panel for automobiles.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel ,and improved instrument panelconstruction for automobiles wherein instruments and accessories .o'rdinarilycarried onor mounted adjacent to a conventional instrument panel and dashboard are substantially completely housed,

whereby they are protected against the entry. of

dust and grit and other-undesirableforeign substances, and wherein more eflicient utilization is made of the spacerbehind the instrument panel than has heretofore beenachieved in automobile dashboard structures; H

Afurther object of the invention is to'provide an improvedautomobile enclosed instrument panelconstruction-which is neat in appearance,

provides a maximurncamount'of space forwardly of the fronts'eat :of the automobile, and which permits access to all instruments and accessories enclosed in thedashboard from the motor hood compartment of the automobile.

Further objects 'a nd advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims,,and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical cross-sectional viewtaken through the motor hood of an automobile provided with an improved enclosed instrument panel construction according to the present invention, said view being taken on line l'-lofFigllre4.

Figure 2 isa'view similar to Figure lbut with th firewall or dashboard opening cover plate removed, I

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure f Figure 4 is a side elevational view partly in cross-'section, of the forward portion of an automobile provided with an improved enclosed instrument panel construction according to this invention.

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the instrument panel of Figure 4, viewed from the interior of the automobile.

Figure 6 is a rear perspective view of the dashboard opening cover plate employed in the structure of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, H designates an automobile having a motor hood [2 and the usual floor board 13. Designated at M is a transverse vertical dashboard or fire Wall extending between the forward end of the cowl wall l5 and the floor board 13. The cowl wall l5 xtends rearwardly for a substantial distance into the passenger com: 1

partment.;.j Wall I4 is formed, with a rectangular opening I6 and designated at'l'l is a cover panel fitting said-opening. Secured'to the lower rear marginal portion of panel 11 is an offset depending flange I'B cooperating with the lower, marginal portion of panelll-toreceive the lower edge of opening it when-theplate is inclosed position, as shown in Figure 4. The upper intermediate portionof cover plate. I! carries a locking arm [9 operated by an outer hand lever 2| and controlled by a key-actuated lock 20. Arm l 9 is engageable behind theupper margin ofopening Hi to secure plate I! in closed position, and by means of lock 29, said arm may be maintained in vertical locking position, until released by engaging the proper key in ,lock ,20. Itrwill'be noted that cover plate. I 'l is reached from the motor hood compartment of the automobile. I

Designated at -221is a-transverselyextending enclosed channel-like, instrument' panel of sheet metal or the like, secured at its top marginal portionto the rear margin'of cowl l5,- as shown at 23,-the'lowenpartof the" panel 22 providing a bottom: wall "226;; extending forwardly beneath the cowl wallul5. The'bottom wall'22f of the, panel 22' is formed withsa dependingvertical flange-2E which isisecured tothe lowermarginal portion of fire wall I4,.the"paneli22,rcowl,I5iand firewall I4,

thereby defining an enclosure or compartment 25 spaced above floorboard'l3, closed at its sides by side walls 25'. Mounted in the. compartment are the usual instruments such as the speedometer, fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, and the like, the instrument dials'being carried on the rear wall of said compartment and being visible from the front seat of the automobile, as'shown in Figure 5. Also mounted in thecompartment are various accessories,such as a radio 26, an ash receptacle 2! and a, combination heater and air conditioning unit 2B.- As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the rear wall of the compartment 25 also carries a glove locker 29 housed in the compartment and accessible from the front seat of the automobile. The controls for radio 26 are likewise accessible, as is the ash receptacle 21,

y The lower wall of panel 22 is provided with a screened opening 30 registering with the air intake opening of air conditioning unit 28. Designated at 3|, 3| are outlet conduits leading from unit 28 to the side walls of the automobile body and extending through said side walls to air outlet registers 32 mounted in the lower portions of the side wall panels laterally adjacent floor board l3. When the unit 28 is in operation, air is drawn,

in through opening 30, is heated or otherwise conditioned in the unit, and is exhausted into the space adjacent floor board l3 through the side wall registers 32, 32. It will be seen that no parts of the air conditioning or heatingunit are located in the space below dashboardpaneI 22, and that motor hood compartment by removing the cover panel I! as above described.

To seal the dashboard compartment against the entry of moisture, a deformable sealing gasket 33 is interposed between the Wall 14 and cover plate l1, said sealing gasket being preferably permanently secured to wall l l around the margin of opening [6.

While a' specific em'bodiment of an automobile dashboard construction has been disclosed in the foregoing description it willbe understood that various modifications withinth esp-irit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Thereforeit'is intended that no limitations may be placedon the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims;

What is claimed is:" l

1. In am'otor vehicle'body' having a motor compartment and a passenger compartment, a cowl structure separating said motor and passenger compartments comprising a vertical firewall, a top cowl wall extending fromthe upper end of said firewall for a substantial distance into the passengercompartment, a bottom wall extending from said firewall into said passenger compartment and spaced above the bottom of said passenger compartment,'said top and. bottom walls extending transversely for a major part of the width of said firewall andof' said passenger compartment,-"apanel wall extending vertically between the-endsof said top and bottom wall-s remote from the firewall and extending transversely betweeii'the opposite ends of said top and bottom walls,sidewalls extending vertically beweentheen'dsrof the top and bottom Walls and between the-firewall and'the ends of the panel wall and formingan encl osed instrument compartment, the said bottom .wall being formed with a reticulated 'air'intake opening providing sole communication between said instrument compartment and the interior of said passenger compartment, an air conditioning unit supported withinsaid instrument compartment and spaced tion with said air intake opening, and a condi- 6 tioned air outlet conduit leading from said unit "file of this patent:

4 and traversing a wallet said instrument compartment and opening into said passenger compartment.

2. In a motor vehicle body having a motor compartment and a passenger compartment, a cowl structure separating said motor and passenger compartments comprising a vertical firewall, a top cowl wall extending from the upper end of said firewall for asubstantial distance into the passenger, compartment; a bottom wall extending from said firewall intosaid passenger compartment and spaced above the bottom of said passenger compartment, said top and bottom flwalls extending transversely for a major part of .15

the width of said firewall and of said passenger oompartn' en't, a panel Wall extending vertically between the ends of said top and bottom walls remote from the firewall and extending transver'sely between the opposite ends of said top and bottom walls, sidewalls extending vertically between the'endsofvthe top-and bottom walls and between the firewall and'the ends of the panel wall and forming an enclosed instrument-compartment, the said :bottom wall being formed with a reticulated air zintakeo-pening providing sole communication .Lbetween said instrument co'mpartinent'andthe interior of said passenger compartmentgan airconditioning unit supported within said. instrument compartment and spaced from the top' w'all andzsidewalls thereof to provide space in. the instrumentcompartment for instruments mounted on said panel wall, said air conditioning unit being in intake communication with said air intake opening, and a conditioned air outlet conduit leading from said: unit and traversing 'a Wall of said'instrument compartment andopening into said passenger compartment on a level below said instrument compartment and at the side-of the'passengerjcompartment beneathesaid instrument compartment.

AUGUSTUS R. SCOTT. REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the UNITEDVSTA'IIES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,049,545 Ostrander Aug. 4, 1936 2,115,472 f Sargent ..*.1 Apr. 26, 1938 2,133,488 Stearns' Oct.18, 1938 2,146,826 Knapp Feb. 14,1939

, 2,242,844 Baier et a1 May 20, 1941 2,235,725 Kneedler June 9, 1942 2,336,089 Gould-1;. Dec. 7, 1943 2,344,864 Griswold Mar. 21, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 170,273 Switzerland Sept. 1'7, 1934 216,356 Great Britain May 29, 1924 

